This recipe has been a family favorite in my house since I was very little. The icing is the key to the recipe and can be a little tricky to make. I can remember trying to make this for my mom when I was little for birthdays and Mother’s Day as a surprise and almost always the icing would end up pooled around the cake in the morning.
I have made the cake now three times in the last month and I now have it figured out and almost foolproof. This is a great cake for people who don’t care for the super sweet and sugar crunchy frosting you get on many cakes. I have also frosted a German chocolate and a lemon cake, topped with a little candied lemon zest, with this icing and they were great. Make the cake part of this recipe first and be sure it is completely cool before you try to ice it.
Banana Cake
There are many recipes for banana cake online. I like this one the best, but I cheat and use a regular Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix. I cut the water from 1 1/3 cups to just 1 cup and I add 1 very ripe banana that I blend well with the water and oil. I use two 8-inch round pans and slice each round into two halves for a four layer cake.
Boiled Icing
2 1/3 cups milk (whole is best, but 2% works fine)
½ cup sugar
½ cup flour
1 cup soft butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup pecan or walnut pieces to top the cake
Heat 2 cups of milk slowly. Mix remaining 1/3 cup of milk well with sugar and flour to make a paste and add to heated milk. Cook carefully on low until very thick and has the consistency of peanut butter. Remove from heat, cover and cool completely in the refrigerator. I like to make this part the day before.
Cream very soft (room temperature) butter and confectioners sugar and blend with the milk mixture briefly on low in a mixer. Add vanilla and beat smooth. Refrigerate until you are ready to frost your cake.
*this is not my photo for the cake, they have added nuts to the batter and it is only three layers, but the look of the frosting and cake is correct. I messed up with my camera, again!
